Ami
by liquidstar
Summary: The game isn't over yet. Now the world must rebuild what was lost, and Squall, Rinoa, Quistis, Zell, Irvine and Selphie lead the way. Squinoa/Selvine
1. Default Chapter

AMI- by Selphiebabe All Final Fantasy VIII characters are owned by Squaresoft  
  
  
  
  
  
Quistis watched her friend's face carefully as they drove through the crumbling gates of Trabia Garden. Selphie was impassive, her small body wrapped in an overlarge yellow coat, but the girls normally vibrant green eyes were dull and full of sorrow. "I'll park the truck over here. You should go introduce yourself to the Headmistress, Quisty." Her voice was soft.  
  
Quistis nodded, fumbling for the door handle and slipped out of her seat. Her fur-lined boots did almost nothing to stop the chill through her body as she landed in a foot of snow. Shouldering her bag, she trudged forward. It had been two months since they had last been there, but she was pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress the students had made to rebuild their school. The rest of the missiles had been cleared away, and all around shelters had been carefully set up to block the harsh winds. A few students watched her curiously, but it wasn't until she got to the fountain that someone came to help her. The girl was tall with thick, wavy brown hair. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold, but her smile was friendly and warm. "You must be our new Instructor, am I right?"  
  
Glancing about, Quistis returned the smile. "Yes I am. I hope that during the months I'm here we can really get this place up and running again."  
  
"Hey, that's the spirit!" The girl grinned, saluting sharply. "SeeD Cadet Cesene Bikar reporting for duty, sir. Headmistress Jeta ordered me to show you to her office. If you'll follow me." She took one of the Instructor's bags and started off down the path. Quistis jogged to catch up, her gold hair floating behind her.  
  
"So Cesene, you're a SeeD cadet?" She asked, trying to make polite conversation as they made their way through the ruins. Cesene nodded as she waved absently to a few students.  
  
"Yeah, I'm hoping to take the exam next term. I guess that means you'll be my Instructor, right?"  
  
"Yes," Quistis smiled. "My assignment is to graduate ten students to SeeD. Hopefully you'll be one of them." They stopped abruptly in front of a large mound covered in snow. Squinting, she thought she could make out the shape of a shelter beneath it, and Cesene affirmed her thoughts by pushing aside a ragged piece of wood. Inside the room was warm though a bit disorganized.  
  
"This shelter was built on part of Trabia's floor," Cesene explained. "Because it's so cold here, our floors are heated. We're really glad the tech team was able to get it running again." Quistis found she was glad as well. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed a pale, muscular woman seated on a pile of blankets on the floor. Although her light blonde hair was messy and her uniform was wrinkled, she had an aura of elegance about her that made Quistis hold her breath. The woman's cheekbones were high and well defined, and she met the other's stare with one of distant kindness.  
  
"You're dismissed, Cesene," the Headmistress said in a deep sonorous voice, and the cadet gave a bow before ducking out of the shelter. As the makeshift door closed behind her, Quistis felt almost uncomfortable in the older woman's presence. The Headmistress was quick to make her feel at home, however. As she stood up, Quistis marveled at her height, guessing that she was above six feet. "SeeD Quistis, I presume?"  
  
Quistis saluted smartly, heels clicking together. "Yes sir, reporting for duty as ordered." Headmistress Jeta merely smiled, gesturing for her to sit. The younger girl followed her lead.  
  
"So, Cid asked me to give you a chance to get your Instructor's license back. I've reviewed your file, and I must say I'm impressed. Would you like some tea, dear?" Jeta handed Quistis a cup, and the SeeD couldn't help rubbing her hands around the cup to get them warm again.  
  
"Anyway, I'm willing to allow you a chance here. After what's happened," the woman said gravely, "you understand that we can't be too picky on our personnel. So I'm thrilled to have you on our team."  
  
"The feeling is mutual, sir," Quistis replied politely.  
  
"Yes, hmm. Good. Now I would like you to be honest with me, dear. With such a fine record as yours, why would they revoke your Instructor's license? Cid wasn't so clear on that."  
  
Immediately, Quistis felt herself redden but she forced her heart to stop fluttering and answered as honestly as she could. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"  
  
Jeta waved her hand absently. "Of course."  
  
"If you've reviewed my file, you should know that I was and still am the youngest SeeD ever to graduate and the youngest Instructor as well. Headmaster Cid is of the mind that I pushed myself too hard, and never truly had a chance to grow up, so in my one year as an Instructor I found myself unable to distance myself from my students. With recent events, I feel as if I have grown in many ways and would like to try again."  
  
"An admirable quality," Jeta admitted, and paused to sip her tea carefully. "Welcome to Trabia Garden, Instructor Trepe. I have your student files right here." She gestured to a pile of papers to her left, and Quistis picked them up, sorting through them in curiosity. "You have 20 SeeD Cadets this term. I know that's more than usual, but I'm sure you can handle it. We've had a shortage of Instructors lately. You'll be sharing a shelter with Selphie, and classes start tomorrow. Questions?"  
  
"Um, yes." The young Instructor began. "Should I wear my SeeD uniform?" She hadn't been sure earlier, despite Selphie's assurances that there would not be a chance to have a Trabian uniform fitted.  
  
"Yes, of course," Jeta replied, smiling. "Wear your SeeD uniform. Anything else you may need is already in your room. Is that all?"  
  
"One more thing. Should I let my students go for a certain time to help rebuild?" At that, the Headmistress graced her with a haunting look, and despite herself Quistis shivered.  
  
"Do all you can to get their lives back on track. These children have buried their friends, and they're as broken as the Garden around them, although they don't show it. You will be more than their Instructor, Quistis. You will be the person that brings them back to life."  
  
  
  
--------  
  
  
  
When Quistis exited the shelter, Selphie and Cesene were waiting for her a few feet away, chatting animatedly. Cesene saw her first, and waved her over, then pointed accusingly. "You didn't tell me Selphie was here, Instructor!"  
  
"I didn't know you knew her," Quistis replied with a smile, shuffling the papers in her hands. She winced as Selphie jabbed Quistis in the ribs with her elbow. For the umpteenth time that day, Quistis was thankful for the thick lining of her coat. "What was that for?"  
  
"You did SO know we were friends! I introduced you guys last time we were here, remember?" Frowning, Quistis thought back and realized she did slightly remember a dark haired friend of Selphie's sitting by the fountain.  
  
"All right, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I remember now. Forgiven?"  
  
"Forgotten!" Selphie grinned, all smiles again. Now that she had met up with her friend, the ominous tone the day had taken earlier had brightened noticeably. "I'm gonna go see the Headmistress quick, and then we'll unpack, okay Quisty?"  
  
The Instructor nodded her assent, then turned to Cesene as Selphie scampered off. The girl was glancing around her absently, her thick hair glittering with snowflakes. "Cesene, would you mind introducing me to some of the students I'm supposed to teach?" She smiled inwardly as Cesene's brown eyes brightened.  
  
"Of course, Instructor. Gimme a name and I'll find them." Both young women began walking back down the path. A few junior classmen were playing in the snow in front of them, and as Cesene was recognized a tumult of snowballs landed by her feet. She stuck her tongue out at the giggling children, and they resumed their walk.  
  
The sun was high in the sky, making the snow around them shimmer like ethereal clouds. Although the wreckage of Trabia Garden around them made it seem a dismal place, it seemed to Quistis that Trabians were as strong willed and stubborn as the land they lived in, and that thought comforted her. With a tragedy like this, you needed to be brave.  
  
"So what's the first name, Instructor?"  
  
Quistis blinked, shaken out of her thoughts by Cesene's voice. "What? Oh, yes. Ah." She glanced at the first page of her files. "Naren Trent."  
  
"Naren's on the tech team, so he should be down by the main computer," Cesene supplied. "I think you'll like him, Instructor. He's the brain of the bunch."  
  
As they rounded the corner, Quistis found herself inside the shell of Trabia Garden. Most of the debris was cleared out, and as they entered a few of the students that had been studying on the floor watched them curiously. At the far end of the room was the main computer, and she assumed that the young man sitting in front of it was one of her new pupils. Cesene called out to him, and he stood up.  
  
Naren was a handsome young man of average height and incredible build. His hair was a mass of dark curls falling down his back, and his eyes were a deep gray. He reminded Quistis of the typical males on the covers of romantic novels. This was certainly not the techno geek that she had been expecting. Smiling, he sauntered over to her and bowed politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." To her horror, Quistis found herself blushing.  
  
"And you, SeeD Cadet Naren," she replied, looking him straight in the eye. "I trust you'll be ready for classes tomorrow?"  
  
"Yes sir," he grinned. "Bright and early, right, Instructor?" They both laughed as Cesene let out a groan.  
  
  
  
---  
  
  
  
In the next hour, Quistis met almost every single one of her new students. All of them seemed like intelligent, productive young men and women and she was beginning to look forward to the next day. By the time she met up with Selphie again, the sun was setting and her stomach was grumbling from being neglected all day. Shaking the snow out of her coat, she hung it up beside Selphie's and settled herself down on the cot.  
  
Selphie's usually flipped up hair had worn out during the day, and now only the ends curled, perfectly framing her face. Although she had been inside for almost half an hour, her nose and cheeks were still red, and she sat on her own cot rubbing her frozen fingers. "Gosh, I leave Trabia for a few months and I totally forget how cold it is!" She declared, wincing as the life slowly came back to her limbs. "Nice to know some things never change."  
  
Quistis smiled in reply, kicking off her boots and wiggling her toes in the air. She collapsed back on her bed with an emphatic sigh. "Selphie, do we have a comm. Port here?"  
  
The smaller girl nodded, hair bouncing. "Yeah, it's over in the corner. I figured you might wanna report back to the Headmaster, so I set it up before you came in." Quistis hadn't noticed the buzzing of the machine before, but now that Selphie mentioned it, she slid off her cot and padded to the corner.  
  
"Excellent." Activating the machine, she typed a few keys in and the Balamb Garden Network screen popped up. She felt Selphie plop down beside her, and then Squall responded to their signal. He looked tired, and his brown hair was messier than usual.  
  
"Glad to see you made it."  
  
"Hi Squall!" Selphie waved, smiling cheerfully, and Squall's mouth turned up in a slight smile at that.  
  
"Hi. Make your report."  
  
Selphie waited impatiently as Quistis summed up what had happened since they had left yesterday morning, and after a few questions from Squall, the business part of the call was over. Selphie jumped at the chance.  
  
"So, talk to us! Has Cid left for Centra yet?"  
  
Squall nodded, making a face. "He left this morning. The Garden is entirely in my hands now." He leaned further back in his chair, hands behind his head.  
  
"You'll do fine," Quistis assured him. "You proved yourself as a Commander, and we'll help you if you need it."  
  
"Besides," Selphie piped in, "You have Rinoa as your aide, remember?"  
  
At the mention of Rinoa, Squall's impassive expression softened slightly. "Yeah. I know." All three were silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then Selphie elbowed Quistis over slightly.  
  
"So what about the boys?"  
  
"Irvine passed the written exam-," At this Selphie squealed in delight, but Squall continued despite the interruption, "-And he and Zell got on the train to Galbadia a few hours ago with Xu. Irvine wanted to tell you himself, Selphie, so I suggest you call him later tonight."  
  
Selphie grinned. "Will do. And the field exam?"  
  
"Classified information, but I can tell you that they won't wait long. Now I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." The screen flashed then went blank, and both girls sighed in exasperation at their friend's tactful escape. Quistis reached over to turn the comm. Link off, and then stood up, offering a hand to help Selphie.  
  
"I'm starving," Quistis complained, heading back towards her cot. "Let's get some food." In answer, Selphie tossed Quistis' coat in her face, grinning cheekily.  
  
"Let's go!" In a few minutes, they were out the door and starting across the moonlit snow to the glowing light of the dining hall.  
  
  
  
  
  
((A/N: Expect the next chapter within the week.)) 


	2. 2

Zell was drooling. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Irvine tossed a pencil at his friend's head. The martial artist immediately sat up, looking around. "Huh? Wha?"

Irvine snickered. They'd been in the Garden-issued van for two hours now, and both boys were starting to get seriously bored. The van hit a bump and Zell yelped, rolling off his seat and onto the ground. Irvine laughed even harder, and Zell shot him a dirty look.

"Okay boys, no more horsing around!" Xu's voice came from the loudspeakers above. "We're pulling into G-Garden now. According to Headmaster Leonhart, the G-Army should have left the premises, but be prepared for anything. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" Irvine and Zell replied at the same time. The van hit pavement, and Irvine looked out the window, recognizing the parking garage of his old school. It was eerily empty, and looked a bit worse for the wear, but then again that was to be expected.

"No cars, man."

Irvine blinked, looking at Zell oddly. "What?"

The blonde returned his gaze seriously. "No cars. That means no one's here, right? I mean, there were a few students around when we busted in here back then, but since the G-Army's gone, I bet no one's come back yet."

The cowboy nodded as the van lurched to a stop. "Some kids are still here. They have nowhere else to go."

The van doors swung open and Xu stood in the wan light, arms crossed. "C'mon. Grab your bags and let's find out the situation."

The boys were quick to do as they were told, and a few seconds later they were following Xu through the empty garage, bags hoisted over their shoulders.

"Halt! Who goes there?" The voice was a young girl's, and it echoed eerily through the empty parking lot. Irvine recognized it immediately.

"Brige?" A freckle-faced red-head poked her head around the corner. Seeing Irvine, she grinned widely.

"Hey there, cowboy! Looks like ya survived! Ya brought friends?" She walked into the open. At full height, she was barely taller than Selphie, and she had forgone the Garden uniform, opting instead for an unzipped Galbadia Bears sweatshirt rolled up at the arms, a plain white tanktop, and baggy cargo pants. Her shoulder-length red hair was pulled into two loose plaits. On her head was a black woolen hat, and her skinny wrists were adorned with many plastic bracelets. Irvine grinned.

"Xu, Zell, allow me to introduce Brigitte Ceyr. She's an old friend of mine." Brigitte bowed none too gracefully. Her smile was infectious.

"Galbadia left yesterday, and since then Garden's been under our control," She explained. "But there aren't too many of us, so we've been doing patrols."

"An excellent idea," Xu said with a smile. "You're one of the people I wanted to see, actually. Your file says you're a SeeD candidate, is that true?"

Brigitte nodded. "I took the written test a few months ago and passed."

"Well, we'll be having a field exam as soon as we can round up the other SeeD candidates. I believe we need…" Xu rummaged through her pockets, coming up with a slip of paper. "Duncan East, Jaime Ceyr, and Jeyne and Alanna Freidman."

"Only six?" Irvine looked surprised. "Don't field exams have at least twenty?"

Brigitte looked subdued. "Most of the SeeD candidates are dead, Irvine. Galbadia was ruthless."

There was silence for a moment. Then Zell broke it. "Well hey, that's okay! Six is a good number."

"Especially for this mission," Xu agreed. "Fourteen SeeDs and six candidates. Brigitte, can you find the others for us?"

"I'll take you to them!" The girl started off at a quick pace, and Irvine's mind wandered as he surveyed his old school again. Galbadia was above all else a military school; nothing like the nurturing environment of Balamb Garden. Everything in Galbadia had been perfectly clean and organized, and now as Irvine looked around, he was saddened by how shabby the interior was. Brigitte caught his eye and shook her head. "We've tried cleaning up, but there just isn't enough of us."

They rounded a corner and went up a flight of stairs, then around the circle to the auditorium. Brigitte slid her ID card into the slot, and the doors opened. The little group followed the girl inside.

In the middle of the room, a folding table was set up and littered with papers. Four people sat around it, deep in a heated discussion. Irvine knew all of them. During his stay at G-Garden, these had been his close friends. Jaime Ceyr, Irvine's old roommate, was a giant of a man with shaggy, shoulder-length brown hair and sunglasses. He wore a white wife beater over his muscular frame, and his long legs were resting on the table.

Next to him, his girlfriend, Alanna Freidman, sat frowning over a sheet of paper. She was beautiful in a delicate way, with a slender build, pale skin, and long, wavy brown hair. The only thing marring her appearance was a scar running vertically across her left eye, leaving it milky white and blank. Alanna's twin sister, Jeyne, was identical to her in every way except for the scar. Jeyne was the more outgoing of the twins, and she wore a lavender sweater set and fitted jeans. Even her nails were painted lavender, and her makeup was designed to look natural.

Last was Duncan East, commonly known as Pierce due to the multiple piercings all over his body. He was almost as tall as Jaime, but skinny as a stick and his black hair was shaved, leaving two chin-length strands in front. His outfit was all black, and he even wore black lipstick. Pierce was the first to notice the intruders. He grinned and waved. "Hey guys, look who's here!"

"Irvine!" Jeyne yelled. "Come over here and give me a hug!"

Irvine laughed. Striding over to his friends, he gave Jeyne a hug, then Alanna, much to her disgust. Jaime and Pierce received "manly" hugs, which was basically a light hug with a pat on the back. When Xu coughed, Irvine remembered what he was doing there. "Guys, this is Xu. She's a SeeD, and so is my friend Zell."

"Hangin' out with SeeDs now, are ya?" Pierce grinned, flashing his fangs. "Cool, man. Nice to meet you guys. I'm Pierce."

"Duncan," Brigitte corrected with a laugh. "The two girls are Jeyne and Alanna, and the guy is my cousin Jaime. These are all the SeeD candidates ya need, right, Xu?"

The small woman nodded, looking each one over. "Excellent. We'll stay here tonight and get things organized, and tomorrow we leave for the field exam."

"Whaaaat?!" Jaime jumped up. "No way, a field exam? Already?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Alanna said quietly. "I passed the written test over two months ago."

"We all did," Jeyne pointed out. She smiled at Xu. "We're the self-appointed leaders of G-Garden for now. There's about thirty others, seven of them junior classmen. Right now we're going through the student files, and umm…"

"Marking the deceased." Alanna stamped another paper, putting it in a pile. Irvine winced at the large pile.

"That many?"

The girl nodded. "Galbadia came during classes. We're not affiliated with Galbadia, so some SeeDs and candidates organized a resistance. They were slaughtered. After that, we did our best to obey them, and they pretty much left us alone. Most of the students left, but we stayed."

"It would be like abandoning our home," Pierce said with a shrug. "Besides, now that the G-Army is gone, we're back in the game. S'all cool."

"Some of the students were really helpful when we fought the Sorceress." Zell had been sitting in one of the auditorium chairs, but he came over to look at the papers. "They gave us card keys and told us where to go."

Jaime was going to say something in reply, but then he caught sight of Zell's gloves. "DUDE."

"Huh?" The blonde looked confused. "Dude what?"

"Dude, ya got Ehrgeiz!" Immediately, Jaime walked over and grabbed Zell's hands, staring at the gloves in wonder. "Do ya know how fuckin' hard it is to junk these babies? I was reading through Weapons Monthly the other day, and there's only three known Ehrgeiz in existence!"

Zell grinned proudly. "Heh. I'm the fourth. We all have pretty kick-ass weapons, my man. Comes from fighting a shitload of monsters before Ultimecia."

Jaime turned. "Kinneas?"

Irvine simply smirked. Dropping his bag, he handed Exeter over. "Careful. It's my baby."

The huge martial artist took the shining metal gun, admiring it. "Brige, did you see this?"

"Naw, let me have a look!" Brigitte gasped as she saw the gun. "Oh wow… I thought I was so cool when I leveled up my pistols to Valkyries, but that's nuthin' compared to Exeter…"

Jeyne had been showing Xu the paperwork they'd been doing, and she looked up at Brigitte's words. "It's getting late, so why don't we give our guests room keys?" Rummaging through the files, she came up with two keys. "Xu can have the guest room, and Zell and Irvine will share a double. Is that okay?"

Irvine, who had spent his entire Garden career sleeping in a four man bunkroom, lit up at the prospect. "A double? Cool!"

Xu smiled at the girl. "You're very responsible, Jeyne. Thank you."

Jeyne blushed happily at the compliment. "Well, Irvine knows the way to his room, so I'll show Xu to hers. The rest of you, let's finish these papers and get to the cafeteria."

"Balamb's are nicer," Zell commented, tossing his bag to the ground. He threw himself onto the bed with a sigh. "Nice mattress, though. I give the room a seven."

Irvine chuckled, sitting down on the side of his own bed. The room was a bit smaller than the doubles at Balamb. The beds leaned against opposite walls, and there was a small kitchen and bathroom near the door. "The guest room is reserved for important people, like Presidents and Generals and the like. Xu's probably jumping on her king-size bed as we speak. " The idea of reserved, business-like Xu jumping on a bed cracked both boys up.

There was a knock on the door, and it swung open. "Am I interrupting anything?" Jeyne said with a smile. "Dinner's ready if you're hungry."

"I'm starving!" Zell cried, jumping up and starting towards the door. "Lead the way!"

"Irvine?"

The cowboy shrugged. "I think I'll stay here awhile. I'll come down in a bit."

Jeyne smiled understandingly, and the door slid shut.

Irvine sighed, sliding his cowboy hat down over his eyes. Part of him was glad to be back with his old friends, but everything around him felt different. This was no longer the school he'd grown up in. This place was an empty building torn by war, and he had a feeling it would be awhile before he'd feel comfortable there again.

Standing up, he walked casually to the window and peered outside. The room faced the old basketball courts, and he was reminded of Trabia only two months ago, and the long, nostalgic conversation he'd had with the gang. And Selphie. He winced. He'd parted from her only a few days ago, and already he missed her like hell. He didn't hear the door open until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jumping a foot in the air, he spun around.

Brigitte laughed, falling back onto the bed. "You've always been jumpy like that."

"Yeah, well…" Irvine smiled sheepishly, adjusting his hat. "Any particular reason for barging in on me?"

"Dinner time. Jeyne went to get ya but ya didn't come down, so I got worried." The red-head sat up. "Yer friend's real cute."

"Zell?!" The cowboy blinked, then made a disgusted face. "Please don't tell me you're going after him, Brige."

"Hee." She didn't answer. Standing up, she took him by the arm and started towards the door. "Let's go, cowboy. We can't pass the field exam on empty stomachs, ya know."

With a sigh, Irvine followed his friend out.


End file.
